All About Ah-Long

"A painful story of a man to learn the hard facts of life…"

1989 1h 35m CN

👍

7.3

SOLID

★7.3TMDB · 56

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Ah-Long, a father living a low-class lifestyle, while trying to raise his son, Porky. The strong bond between father and son is tested when a chance encounter from Ah-Long's ex-girlfriend changes the course of their lives.

“A painful story of a man to learn the hard facts of life…”

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Where to watch · US

Cast

Chow Yun-Fat
Ah Long
Sylvia Chang
Sylvia Poon / Por-Por
Wong Kwan-Yuen
Porky
Richard Ng Man-Tat
Dragon
Wong Tin-Lam
Advertising Executive
Alan Yu Ga-Lun
Patrick Yu
Tam Sin-Hung
Sylvia's Mother
Joseph Chi Chiong Chavez
Motorcycle Racer

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Johnnie To
Writers: Sylvia Chang, Ng Man-Fai, Philip Cheng Chung-Tai
Languages: Cantonese, English, Portuguese
Countries: Hong Kong

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

37 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Cantonese, English, Portuguese.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

AWARDS

Did you know

Directed by Johnnie To, shot by Horace Wong Wing-Hang. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Lo Ta-Yu. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

AWARDS

Did you know

Editor Wong Wing-Ming shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

AWARDS

Did you know

Chow Yun-Fat and Sylvia Chang and Wong Kwan-Yuen carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "A painful story of a man to learn the hard facts of life…".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0098694 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Johnnie To directs. Horace Wong Wing-Hang behind the camera. Lo Ta-Yu scores. Wong Wing-Ming cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in Hong Kong. Dialogue in Cantonese, English, Portuguese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

137 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Dialogue crosses 3 languages: Cantonese, English, Portuguese.
3Directed by Johnnie To, shot by Horace Wong Wing-Hang. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Lo Ta-Yu. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Wong Wing-Ming shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Chow Yun-Fat and Sylvia Chang and Wong Kwan-Yuen carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "A painful story of a man to learn the hard facts of life…".
8IMDB entry: tt0098694 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 56 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.